Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you, for the seal of my apostleship is you in the Lord.
My defense to those who examine me is this:
Don’t we have the right to eat and to drink?
Don’t we have the right to lead about a wife who is a believer, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who shepherds a flock, and does not eat of the milk of the flock?
Do I speak these things from a purely human perspective? Or doesn’t the law also say the same thing?
For it is written in the Law of Moses, Do not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain. Is it only for the oxen that God is concerned?
Rather, is it not altogether because of us that he says it? Surely for our sake it was written, because whoever plows ought to plow in hope, and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of partaking.
If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it too much if we reap your material things?
If others partake of this right over you, shouldn’t we even more so? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we cause no hindrance to the good news of Christ.
Do you not know that the ones working for the Temple eat of the things of the Temple, and those who regularly attend to the altar have their portion with the altar?
So also the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the good news should live from the good news.
But I have used none of these things, and I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me, for it would be better for me rather to die than…. No one will take from me my grounds for boasting!
For if I proclaim the good news, I have nothing to boast about, for a necessity has been placed upon me. Indeed, how terrible it will be for me if I do not proclaim the good news.
For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I still have an administration entrusted to me.
What then is my reward? That when I proclaim the good news, I can offer the good news without charge, so as not to make full use of my right to be supported in proclaiming the good news.
For though I was free, a slave to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone so that I win even more.
And to the Jews I became like a Jew, so that I win Jews. To those who are under the law, I became like one under the law (not being myself under the law), so that I win those who are under the law.
To those who are without law, I became like one without law (not being without God’s law, but subject to the law of Christ), so that I win those who are without law.
To the weak, I became weak, so that I win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by every possible way I save some.
And I do all things for the good news’ sake, so that I can be a joint-participant of it.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? So run in such a way that you attain it!
And everyone who is competing in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
Therefore, I do not run like one who runs aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air,
but I treat my body harshly and make it my slave, lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified for the prize.